By
James
Updated on
Brisket and electric smokers go hand in hand as a pitmasters favorite combination. But what’re the best electric smokers for brisket? Generally, an automatic smoker to cook for 8 hours or more is best.
Let’s get on the same page, beef briskets are the juiciest cuts of meat, but they require careful cooking and attention. The briskets come from the body of the cow, which includes the pectoral muscles.
So, you get a lot of connective tissue and collagen that makes it tough meat. But once you smoke it right, it’s a unique treat.
What to consider before buying
Several factors go into smoking a good beef brisket. If you’re not sure how to get started, check out our on how to cook your brisket. Among all the other factors, though, the single most crucial element is the temperature.
Beef briskets take some smoking and cooking before they tenderize. And you need consistent heat levels and no small amount of patience to get it done! To get the correct temperature, you need a smoker that gives you more control over heat regulation. And electric smokers give you some of the most convenient and user-friendly control over your cooking.
As you start preparing that prized beef brisket, let’s look at which electric smokers do the best job of smoking it.
Our Top Picks
Below is a summary of the top picks from our SummerBaron.com team. To help you understand where each pick ranked, we have included “badges” next to each pick’s key findings. “Best Overall” is a combination of price and value. “Best Budget” is great for summer lovers who want a top-quality product but are on a tighter budget. “High End” is for people who just want the best, and price is no object.
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Product
Masterbuilt MB20074719 Bluetooth Digital Electric Smoker
Folds compactly for storage and offers three different height adjustments
Easy to clean with a cup holder for baby
Cuisinart Cos-330 Electric Smoker
Folds compactly for storage and offers three different height adjustments
Easy to clean with a cup holder for baby
Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker
Folds compactly for storage and offers three different height adjustments
Easy to clean with a cup holder for baby
Reviews of Each Pick
Below are our detailed reviews of each product. Each product included in this review is reviewed by our team ⎯ with 1,000s of hours testing and working with products to help you pick the best one for your specific situation.
Masterbuilt MB20074719 Bluetooth Digital Electric Smoker
Easy to assemble
Affordable smoker
Poor visibility of the LCD display in sunlight
The Masterbuilt719 takes the cake when you talk about electric smokers for briskets. It has a sturdy build that comes packed with features and convenience that will make you throw out your old smoker (Ok, maybe not. But it’s that great!).
The feature that stands out with the Masterbuilt MB20074719 is the wireless digital controls. The Bluetooth enabled controls to allow you to regulate the appliance at a comfortable distance using your smartphone. Remember what we said about briskets and temperature? This unit lets you monitor the internal temperature of the unit via Bluetooth. Better yet, you can check the temperature at which the brisket is smoking!
The comprehensive controls make the Masterbuilt MB20074719 a complete smoker. It’s ideal not just for seasoned users but also for beginners who prefer safety.
Cuisinart Cos-330 Electric Smoker
Assembly was easy
Temp control is simple
Temp gauge is pretty accurate
Costs were cut on the door handles.
The Cuisinart Electric Smoker is another contender for excellent smoking of briskets. This machine is convenient because it’s more portable than the others. The 548 square-inch gives it more than enough room to smoke briskets of any size easily. Besides briskets, this one’s also great at quick roasting beef fillets or chicken wings.
There’s a thermometer in the front where you can monitor the heat levels of the appliance. It helps you maintain those ideal lower-temperatures that are recommended for briskets. It’s also an easy-maintenance unit. A quick action can remove both the chip tray and water pan for cleaning.
Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker
Heats up pretty fast
Ease of use.
Highest temp is 280 degrees
Although Char-Broil is better known for its charcoal and gas smokers, their Analogc Smoker is no pushover either. For those of us who like kicking it old-school without digital gear, this one’s a classic. It also sports a 548 square-inch interior that almost rivals the Cuisinart. And it comes with three removable grates that are chrome-plated and stainless material.
The Char-Broil Analog may not be the fanciest item around, but it knows how to get your briskets nice and tender. This electric smoker’s walls have a double-structure that works to keep the heat in, making it more efficient. And like the others, it also has a thermometer on the front where you can keep track of the smoking temperature. Since it doesn’t bother you with complicated parts, it requires very little maintenance and is sturdy as an oak.
Smoke Hollow 26142E Electric Smoker
Easy to use.
Simple, straight forward and no frills.
The temp control is a little awkward getting use to
Next on this great list is the Smoke26142E Electric Smoker. This smoker offers you all the fundamental elements you’d need for your brisket, but at a lower price. So, it’s an ideal choice if you don’t smoke briskets very often but still want a machine that can get the job done.
But don’t let the Smoke Hollow 2642E’s price fool you; it’s still built for some action. With a heating element that can touch 1500 watts, it’s more than worth the money you spend.
You can control the temperature between 175-325°. And the heat indicator is a commercial grade, which is designed to last. Safety is another key feature of this model. Regardless of how hot it’s cooking inside, the handle sports a cool-touch feature that ensures safe opening and closing every time. You get only two chrome plates for racks, but they have adjustable slots, so it’s not a deal-breaker.
Bradley Smoker Original 4-rack Smoker
Great cooking area
Clearance around sides of unit
Footprint is very small
Cleans pretty easy as shelves, drip pan, water bowl, and tray all go in the dishwasher when I’m done cooking.
Availability of bisquettes not always great.
If you can’t decide which brisket smoker to pick from this list, just go for the Bradley Original Smoker. It’s the ideal machine if all you want to do is smoke briskets the whole day. That’s not to say it doesn’t work well for other meat. You can still cook up a mouth-watering smoked salmon or chicken on this bad boy. The Bradley Smoker Original is incredibly efficient with low-temp, slow cooking recipes.
The 4-rack design gives you ample space and slots for placing briskets wherever you want. And each rack has a reinforced, durable design that keeps the meat from falling over. You can go for the 6-rack system if you regularly have small crowds over for your backyard barbeques.
One of the best parts of this machine is the separated burners for the smoke and heat. This means you can choose just one or operate both depending on what you’re cooking. The stainless-steel interior ensures that it’s built to last.
About The Author
Reviewed by
James
James is a writer who is a self-confessed kitchenware and coffee nerd and a strong advocate of Sundays, good butter, and warm sourdough.
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